Between Life and Death
by ItzStorytime
Summary: What's more unnerving than staring at a dead body? Right... It's when the said body is you-- So, is this what happens when one dies? Naruto finds out more about the afterlife, while an even greater adventure awaits...in a place called "Soul Society"...
1. Story of My Life

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach- (hah, forgot to add it in before... )_

A/N-- Quick notice, Prologue is in 1st person. Starting from next chapter, it should be back to normal. That's to clear up any queries or confusion. Thanks. Enjoy!

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Prologue- Story of My Life

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I have only ever called a place home; Konoha, the village Hidden in the Leaves. It was one of the five great shinobi villages in which its power was rivaled by nobody else. The produced ninjas from Konoha were openly acknowledged as some of the greatest ninjas ever to grace the lands of the shinobi world. Through example, the great founders of the village, the first and second Hokage; Hashirama and Tobirama Senju were their names. Each Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village were unrivalled in their skills by many and made great influences over the recent history of the shinobi world.

Arguably, the most famous or most feared Kage to have ever stepped onto a battle field was the Yondaime of Konoha. Through a development of a legendary technique, he had risen to fame in the Third Great Shinobi War in which he earned his nickname the 'Yellow Flash' of Konoha. The technique was recognized by many and feared. Hiraishin was its name.

Many said that the name was befitting. 'The Flying Thunder God' was a hyper speed technique that had wiped out legions of men in a fell swoop and single handedly turned the tides of war. Despite all this, he still passed away in his early life. In the history books of Konoha, it is told that the Yondaime had sacrificed his life for the sake of the Hidden Leaf and killed the fabled nine-tailed fox.

I know better though, written words do not always depict the truth. It is no secret to the Konoha population that I, Naruto Uzumaki, _was_ the container of the nine-tailed fox. I found the truth in the worst way imaginable- it was revealed to me by a traitor. That traitor was none other than Mizuki, one of my Chuunin teachers in the academy. He twisted his words and caused me to doubt Iruka-sensei. With that seed of doubt in my mind, nothing really mattered anymore; I turned and ran deep into the forest.

As I hid and listened to the ongoing conversation between my two Chuunin senseis, I felt saddened. It was because of a very sentence that had caused me to evaluate my beliefs; Iruka-sensei declared that _I _was not a monster fox; _I_ am Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha.

I believe that certain events would cause a dramatic change in a person's life. Luckily enough it happened to me on that very night. My life was changed as I opened my eyes, feeling a slight difference. It is a feeling I would never forget- the softness of the cloth wrapped around the back of my head and the light metal plate with the insignia of a leaf.

I felt like I belonged in the world. It was the same feeling that I had when I first met the Third Hokage. I had lain on the ground bloodied and bruised, desperately trying to get up and run. The beatings stopped and my eyes dared to open to see an outstretched hand and a kind smile. It was a foreign thing to me but it was nice.

I used to look out from a hidden place, in a small hole of a bush, towards the park as I watched the small children play and laugh together with their parents. Sometimes, I also saw some little kids being scolded for doing something wrong. Even if it meant that I would be scolded or punished, I would have gladly given anything to have been in the child's shoes. To my mind Iruka-sensei had secured a place in my life alongside the Third Hokage, the ramen chef and the cook's daughter. To some degree, I had added Iruka-sensei into my definition of a family; I thought of him as a fatherly figure in some ways as I am constantly caught and lectured by him. In some ways I had always wanted to know what it felt like to have a family.

It was after my graduation, Team 7 formed. Over the months of chores we had to do, I found myself liking the team. In fact I felt that even Sasuke, my rival, was becoming something important to me. It was the millions of tasks we had to do each day-chasing that damn cat, painting the houses and even plucking the weeds out from the gardens of civilians- that allowed me to grow closer to the team. Sometimes I would feel neglected, such as Sakura always leaving me to pursue Sasuke. Nevertheless, I had accepted that along with the team. Despite their faults, they were still closer to me than anyone else.

Then there was Jiraiya-sensei. He was… proud to say the least- famous for being a top class pervert who had no sense of the word decency and was a self-proclaimed 'super pervert'. It was always entertaining to be around him. We became acquainted to each other in a humorous incident: he was caught peeking into the girls section of the hot springs. I felt that I really became close to him during our three year trip traveling out of Konoha after the incident with Sasuke.

Sasuke defected from Konoha to join Orochimaru because of the promise of power. A four-man team consisting of Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji and I had been dispatched to retrieve Sasuke. It ended up with all four of us being hospitalized and Sasuke escaping. I could never forget that, the feeling of betrayal by someone you thought of as a brother. I never could quite comprehend why he would throw everything away just for the sake of power. I had thought that by being a team, our bonds should have been strong enough for him to resist the temptation of gaining easy power just for the sake of revenge.

I returned to Konoha, at the age of fifteen. It had been nice to see the addition of Tsunade-obachan's face. Though I had always wanted to be the fifth Hokage, I still cannot think of anyone better to take up the mantle of Godaime. She was the one closest to a motherly figure I have. She was a very strong-willed lady who had lost her way and found it again. I couldn't be prouder to say that I had a small part to play in that.

There were many things that happened in the two years after I returned to Konoha. I was forced to learn so much more at a quicker pace, in preparation of war as well as the Akatsuki. There was the Sora-nin from the Sky Country who wanted revenge against Konoha.

Indeed, many things happened during the invasion. I had met a new friend, Amaru, as well as Sasuke who had assisted to end the battle albeit for different reasons. His reason was to retrieve something for Orochimaru whilst mine was to defeat the enemy to Konoha. Even though he had been cold towards me, I had managed to see that there was still something there that I could save. It was only the betrayal of him shoving the Chidori into my chest that sometimes makes me doubt my actions.

It wasn't until the day Akatsuki decided to attack my whole world changed. I had been in Myobokuzan, the land of frogs, learning how to control my sage powers. Then there was the news of Konoha being destroyed. The man known as Pain has used an ability of his, called Shinra Tensei- the manipulation of gravity- to demolish most of Konoha. The result of the battle was the deaths of my loved ones. I was not strong enough to protect any of them…

With no energy left Pain retreated, knowing that the damage was done. He had left knowing _I_ was not going to run away. I felt unimaginable anger that day, feeling the guilt knowing that if I trained _harder_, _faster_, _better_, I would have been able to save their lives. It was what I told myself, in that cold night with the smell of blood lingering in the air. The plain truth dawned on me; I was a lone survivor of Konoha. One of the great villages had been totally annihilated by a single man with a legendary doujustu.

Angered and sad at the same time, I was confused. I wanted revenge for my loved ones and I had looked out for Akatsuki. It didn't matter anymore, all I could think of was to release the fox and get it over and done with. After days of searching for the Akatsuki base, I finally found it. Needless to say they had been guiding me to their base through hints. I didn't really care if they showed themselves in front of me then, just as long as I would have been able to see and _kill_ all of them.

It was through my rage I became reckless. I attacked blindly, opting to release the Kyuubi, however, my blind attack made me fall into their trap. They sealed all my chakra and made sure my connection to the Kyuubi was lost. No contact between me and the fox was possible. The attack on Akatsuki had turned out pathetic and I didn't even manage to get a single hit.

As my body started to float, I felt the life being drained out of me, feeling the essence of my and the fox's chakra being _pulled_ out of me. Then it all stopped…

_Flashback…_

"Come on idiot, I know you are awake," Sasuke said in urgency.

I felt tired, but I knew what happened exactly. In a moment of blinding light, everyone lost their concentration and Sasuke snatched me before escaping through the passageway leading up to the entrance of the cave.

The others were not too far behind and they were catching up. Carrying me had drastically slowed Sasuke and as we both arrived at the entrance he threw me outside before giving me a sad look. I didn't know exactly why he had saved me or even threw me but I had a gut feeling that something big was going to happen. I saw the shadows of the Akatsuki members getting closer through the entrance.

It was then I heard a soft whisper, "Goodbye brother…"

I looked to see Sasuke doing a series of quick hand seals before slamming his hand onto the wall, with massive amounts of rocks covering the entrance, burying himself inside to battle the remaining members of Akatsuki.

"No!" I shouted out.

I knew then that he had sacrificed himself to save me and through silent eye contact wanted me to become _stronger_- strong enough to completely kill off Akatsuki and eliminate Madara Uchiha.

Even with his sacrifice, the number of Akatsuki members would outnumber him and eventually kill him. I knew now, that if I wanted to get my revenge against that bastard organization, I would have to train to become the _best_.

_Flashback end…_

--

Here I am, stuck in a place of darkness, most probably in the stomach of the Shinigami. However, I am glad that I had achieved my goal of eliminating Akatsuki off the face of the world. The only thing that I can think of now is the two figures that had appeared before me. Perhaps they have the answers as to what I am looking for...

"_Rest young one..." _

I felt my consciousness fading away but I called out anyways, "Who are you?" I heard no response as I fell asleep unable to fight off the exhaustion that took over my body.

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**A/N:** **Just enjoy it. That's all I ask for. **


	2. New Bonds

"Hey, wake up!"

Naruto stirred in his sleep, his slumber interrupted by the constant shaking and yelling. Why can't the person just take the message and leave him alone? He had been lifting up his hand to gesture a _shoo-ing_ motion. Wasn't that enough?

Apparently not, if anything, the shaking only became harder. Suddenly it stopped-

-the shaking was gone!

Finally! Some well deserved sleep. His eyes were still shut tight, slowly drifting into his rest again despite the chill that surrounded his body. It was cold, but who cares- it was naptime!

Naruto felt something on his face, a furry object. What was it…well he didn't really care; it was comfortable. It left his cheek for a moment-

-WHAM!

He shot upright, eyes wide open, with his hand rubbing his now throbbing cheek. He couldn't focus his sight to find his assaulter. It must have been a long time since he had felt so tired. Naruto heard the sound of giggling, a girl's giggle.

As the blonde regained his sight, his gaze was met with a teenage girl, most probably around his age if he were to guess correct. She was trying miserably to contain her laughter. Naruto opened his mouth to speak but his throat was dry and his voice cracked. He couldn't seem to form any audible sound, much less produce the energy to say something.

"Looks like you're awake," the blue haired girl said through her dying laughter.

She turned to look towards the left side of the blonde boy. "That was great!" she announced with a small thumbs up.

Naruto followed her line of sight and spotted a little grinning fox- or at least he _thought_ it was grinning…

Blood red fur, maybe a slight tint of orange…A little twinkle in its mischievous eyes…and…one…two…three…_four…five…- _

Rewind! WHAT THE HELL… Naruto rubbed his eyes again, taking in every detail…--

-Blood red fur; check. Small twinkle in eyes; yeah it's still there. And… seven, _eight,_ _nine _tails! Oh Kami-sama. No freaking way!

All nine tails were gloriously swishing in the air, all in unison. The fox hopped onto the blonde's lap and licked his cheek, after that pulling away to keep a satisfied grin on its muzzle.

"That little fox has been here ever since I found you. I think it likes you a lot." The girl pointed out to the stunned blonde. "Here this might help." She bent down to hand him a canteen filled with water.

Naruto took it from her, hoping his appreciation showed. He gulped the water greedily, drinking every last drop. That felt _so_ much better now.

"Thank you… er…" Naruto trailed off, noticing he didn't know her name.

"It's Hikari," she informed him.

"…Hikari-san."

"And don't call me that, it sounds old. Come on, we better get out of here, it's about to rain."

"Hai," Naruto said before opening his arms for the fox to jump in. Miniature Kyuubi- never would've believed it if he didn't see it.

"You know, you still haven't given me your name…" Hikari mentioned.

"It's Naruto."

"Naruto…Hmm I think it has a nice ring to it."

For once the blue-eyed boy had nothing to say. It was a compliment that was rarely given.

He just followed the retreating girl, walking through the columns of enormous trees with the fox in his arms.

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"Kyu… is that you?" Naruto whispered to the fox. There was no response for a while, until the fox gave a small _yip_. Should have known… despite the nine tails, it was too good to be true.

He hung his head down, a little sad that it _wasn't_ the demon fox. In the past couple of years, before the attack again Akatsuki, they had worked together, side by side. Both had come to an agreement, once Akatsuki was gone, the fox's freedom was ensured. What Naruto didn't expect was attachments. Without anymore friends, or Konoha for that matter, his only companion had been the fox sealed inside of him. Despite the growing insults, Naruto always felt that their relationship might have been somewhat different from the beginning.

Too bad he would never find out-

A soft tap on his cheek pulled him back from his daydream. "Hey, Naruto, are you okay? You stopped walking for a while…"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks Hikari-chan!" Naruto answered back joyfully, a little bit too quick, hiding his previous thoughts. He gave her a weak smile, trying to lift the mood up again.

Hikari just looked at him and tapped his cheek again, "Baka, you know, it's obvious you're not fine. Next time, just let it out."

She didn't give him any chance to respond and continued, "You know… we are nearly at my place, we'll sort everything out when we get there. Look, the rain's starting."

Hikari held out an open palm letting droplets of water splash onto her flesh. "Let's go Naruto, it's starting."

After a while, they walked out of the forest and Naruto was greeted to the sight of buildings, stretching as far as the eye can see. The most spectacular feature about the scenery was the massive structure that seemed to be somewhere in the distance.

"Hikari, what's that thing there?" Naruto pointed out towards the tall structure out in the horizon.

"That's Seireitei; I'll give you the full details once we are inside the house," Hikari answered and increased her pace.

Naruto felt eyes upon them. Using his honed senses, he scanned the surrounding area noticing that there were a lot of people who were staring at Hikari- not in a nice way.

He understood why she increased her pace and thought to himself. _I won't resort to violence. Those days are over; I'll just start a new life…_

Soon, the blonde noticed the changes in building conditions and eventually, they came to a small hut.

"Here we are Naruto," Hikari declared.

"So this is where you live Hikari?"

"Yep, welcome, make yourself at home!"

The inside was cozy, unlike the outer exterior; it seems as if everything was laid out neatly and there seemed to be so much more room. Naruto put the fox down onto the chair beside him and examined the place.

"Hey, Kyu, hope you don't mind me calling you that, you remind me of someone I know," Naruto said as he talked to the fox. Hikari had gone to the kitchen to get some water and food for the both of them. The fox seemed to shake its head acknowledging what Naruto said.

The blonde continued, "You know…this is all very weird to me. Is this death? I guess it was lucky that I met Hikari-chan, she seems very nice…"

He let his head rest against the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Hikari was in front of him, holding out a cup of ramen and two glasses of water was placed on the table.

"Thanks Hikari." He heard his stomach growl slightly. He was hungry.

He slurped the noodles very slowly into his mouth, cherishing the taste it gave. It had been too long since he had last eaten ramen. It had been a long time since he had met _Ichiraku_. The past was the past though. Naruto spoke whilst eating, "So, ish th-

He was cut off by Hikari, "Don't talk with your mouth full, eat first."

Naruto nodded apologetically. When he was nearly finished with the contents in the cup, he stopped and passed it on to the little fox. Somehow, Naruto knew the fox was hungry as well, much more than himself.

Hikari ate her ramen slowly, watching the two carefully. The fox was indeed interesting, ever since she had seen it in the forest beside the boy. The nine tails behind it only proved that the fox was one-of-a-kind. Only the legends spoke of it. Also, there was the blonde…

He was an enigma she had yet to solve, from his first impression; he was a child- at least to her. Only god knows how long it has been since she has been alive in Soul Society. She lost count after the first few centuries.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto.

"Say, Hikari, I have a few questions… Is it okay if you help me out a little…?" he asked.

"Sure!" Hikari said encouragingly.

"First thing, is this where the dead go?"

"Yeah, it's where all souls arrive when they are dead, however, some become hollows."

"Hollows, what are they?" Naruto asked inquisitively.

"Oh right! Wait here." From nowhere she pulled out a whiteboard and started to draw.

Naruto twitched slightly. What was she trying to do?

The fox stared at the board with a questioning look on its features.

Hikari produced a stick and started pointing to the 'pictures', "This is when a person is alive. When they die, they become pluses or souls…

"…after that they come here! Hollows however are formed…"

"…that is what hollows are!" Hikari finished with pride in her explanation. "Are there any questions?"

Naruto looked blankly at her and raised his hand slowly.

"It's hard to understand. Why are your drawings so bad?"

She whacked him on top of his head with the stick and said, "It's a common practice that we make it as simple as possible for others. The plus sign here represents the pluses. It isn't that hard to understand."

"Yeah, it would have been easier to understand if that plus actually looked like a _plus_," Naruto stated sarcastically. He felt another whack on top of his head, the same spot she had hit earlier. "Ow! Why did you do that?"

"That's for being a _baka_," Hikari stated. "I'll let you stay here, on one condition. Do not enter my room. Oh wait, I think I got another condition! You have to be my personal slave."

"WHAT?" Naruto shouted.

"Obviously you don't know how to take jokes," Hikari said.

"Phew…"

"Don't celebrate yet, I _will_ make you work. Now, first thing you have to do. Get out there and buy me my groceries!" She handed him a slip of paper containing a long list of items and food along with a bag full of money, or what he presumed was money.

When he was out the door, she sighed and thought to herself, "_It was a fun day… It's been a while since I last laughed or had any fun…" _

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It was night by the time Naruto returned. It had been a busy day indeed. The damn groceries probably weighed a ton, now he knew why women were so strong. It just wasn't right!

"Hikari! I'm back."

No response. The little red fox hopped down from its resting place and followed Naruto into the kitchen.

"Hey, Kyu, looks like she went out, yeah?" Naruto asked.

The fox nodded its head up and down signaling yes.

"Here, I bought you some food." Naruto opened up one of the grocery bags and brought out some bread and meat. "You know, you're pretty smart."

The miniature Kyuubi just dived into the food, ripping apart the chunks of meat and devouring the bread.

"Seriously you must be hungry," Naruto said.

For the first time since he awoke, Naruto felt different. It wasn't as noticeable as before due to the various things going on in his mind and tasks given. Now, he was free and somehow he knew something was changed about himself.

"You know Kyu, I feel a little different, as if I'm stronger than before. I mean… before I died."

The fox gave a small bark as if saying 'Yeah right…'

"Anyways, my old life is gone; maybe the rest of my friends will be here. I mean, they only passed away a few years before me…" he voiced out his thoughts.

Naruto took a look at himself for the first time, noticing the lack of orange on his outfit. What the heck happened to my jumpsuit? He wore a obsidian black T-shirt and he noticed that there was a white portion down the sides of his shirt. The only orange he could see was the strange symmetrical line across the black sleeve of his T-shirt and intergrated within the middle of the white lines down the sides of his shirt. Then there was the pants, a three-quarter lenght pants that just barely passed over his knees. Differing slightly from the design of his shirt, it was white with black stripes. However, the orange this time dominated a huge portion of the black giving his outfit a striking effect leaving the black visible on either sides of the orange as well as in some cases in between the orange.

Essentially it was the type of clothing that would attact a lot of people to stare at him. Good or bad it didn't matter. He thought it made him look extremely cool and found himself enjoying the confort the fabric gave him. It was feathery soft and seemed to give off just the right amount of coolness to keep his body comfortable.

He touched the fabric and noticed it was nothing like cotton or as a matter-of-fact anything he had come across for the mean time. He traced his finger against the orange. It was odd. At a very close look, he could just make out seals. What it does, he couldn't tell. From one or two words he could make out the words "Hidden Equilibrium". Truly it was complex and not to mention extremely tiny.

It was strangely familiar to him yet nothing seemed to make sense, it was probably better if he did some research over his knowledge of seals and find out what it meant.

_Forget it, let's try out my chakra.  
_

It was gone. He felt nothing, could pull nothing. Despite this, he _knew_ there was still something. He felt so useless now, but then again, maybe it was for the best- to live a new peaceful life.

Naruto saw the red fox looking at him in amusement the whole time. He felt tired and sat down on the couch. The blue-eyed boy shut his eyelids in need for some well deserved rest, feeling the weight of the fox settling on top of his lap.

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Hikari looked at the blonde walking out the door, going out to get more goods for the both of them. It had been little over two weeks since she had found him lying in the forest just outside South Rukongai accompanied by the fox. In those two weeks, she felt herself enjoying what life had to offer. In the centuries she had been here in Soul Society, he was probably the only one to cause her so many problems.

Much like that incident last week, now _that_ had been pretty embarrassing.

_Flashback_

_---_

"NARUTO, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING IN HERE!?" a shrill scream sounded throughout the entire district.

---

It was very early in the morning, perhaps 7 in the morning.

With sleepy eyes, Naruto had woken up and groggily made his way to the bathroom, not knowing that it was occupied. Normally, he would wake later. The only reason he woke up was because of his bladder that felt like it was about to explode. "_I probably shouldn't have drunk so much water last night…"_

The sound of running water didn't even register into his mind as he walked up sleepily towards the shut bathroom door. His hand rested on the knob and gripped it gently, twisting it at the same time. The warm steam exited the bathroom through the opened door and Naruto, still ever so tired, walked in, disregarding the change in temperature.

He shut the door gently before sitting down on the toilet seat and released the pressure…

"_That feels sooooo much better… Ha…" _he thought to himself.

The blonde pulled up his pants and reached for the flush. With a press, he flushed the bowl and the sound of a loud scream filled the enclosed room.

The shower curtains opened and Hikari looked at Naruto, holding on to her towel that covered most of her body parts. Now, Naruto became wide awake as he stared at the half-naked girl with shock, knowing one thing: He was in deep SHIT!

"_What have I done to deserve this…?" _

_Flashback End_

Hikari walked into her room before looking out of the window towards the outer districts. _"Looks like that's where I have to go." _

She moved towards her closet before opening it and taking out an object and a cloak.

It was time for her to meet up with the rest and confront _them_. After months of searching she had a definite location.

The girl had a mask of seriousness and grim etched on her beautiful features, resolving to go. Hikari left a note on the table outside her room before looking towards the fox that stared at her actions, following her every movement.

"Kyu, would you mind telling Naruto not to worry? If I don't return, take care of him okay?" she told the fox, her voice tinged with melancholy. On that note, she left the house, the sun slowly setting as it approached night.

Her figure disappeared amongst the rooftops with her cloak fluttering behind her- a kanji for 'zero' engraved on the back.

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Naruto returned after everything was bought, another tiring day of searching and haggling for him. Damn, he was getting good at haggling for prices. Now he managed to get things off for a 50 per cent discount!

"I'm home!!" he yelled triumphantly, again met by nothing. Seriously, where does that girl disappear off to, every night? Bah, everyone has their secrets.

He set the groceries on the kitchen table, sorting them out, placing them into the refrigerator and cupboards. This time, he had bought _extra_ ramen! They were super special as well, apparently.

Naruto greeted the small fox that appeared beside him. "Yo Kyu, I'm back. She went out again, huh?"

The fox nodded and barked out loud.

"What's wrong Kyu?" Naruto asked.

Its tails swished faster from side to side signaling for him to follow it. They walked out of the kitchen and it jumped on top of a table in the previous room.

"A note…? Kyu, you know what? Come to think of it, she never leaves notes, haha…" he laughed a little. The fox gave out another small bark indicating for him to 'hurry the hell up'.

"God, you're becoming as bossy as another fox I know," Naruto grumbled as he unfolded the paper and looked at its contents. It had small stains, probably from water. He would only find out later that it was tear marks.

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_Naruto, _

_I'll be gone for a while. Perhaps a very long time… but I'll see you again soon, kay?_

_Don't worry about me; if I don't come back, you know where the keys are to the house. _

_Just make another spare incase you lock yourself out again…_

_Don't be too much of a baka. Take care, blondie! _

_Hikari _

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"Kyu! It sounds as if she is in trouble!" Naruto panicked, throwing away the piece of paper to one side and shouting again, "What are we going to do!?"

"Which way did she go? No, wait, how am I going to help? I don't even know where she is. No!"

"_Baka_, after all these years of disappearance, you'd think you would have learnt some restraint…" a voice sounded from behind the blonde.

Naruto turned around to stare at the fox, only thought running through his mind, "_Kyuubi?"_

The fox just smirked and said, "What's the matter, fox got your tongue?"

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Sorry for the delay... Didn't manage to find enough time to squeeze in a couple of chapters...

I kinda lost the plot sheet. Wahahaha, I'm just gonna wing it now. I apologize once again. Enjoy.


	3. Joining the Battle

**A/N: Sorry I was gone for so long. Hopefully this will kind of satisfy some readers. I'm not too sure how to write this now as I have completely forgotten what I initially planned.**

**Regardless, provide your opinions, it's nice to be able to get the good and the bad. Enjoy the chapter!**

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Naruto found himself increasing his speed dramatically with each step. It didn't matter how tired he would get, he just felt the need to rush- like his life depended on it or more specifically, like Hikari's life depended on it. Within his one-handed embrace, a little red fox stared out towards the west as the world became a blur and the resistance of the wind started to become heavier.

He was worried about Hikari. In the short time he had known her; Naruto had always appreciated her company. He was a stranger to a new world and she had been the one to greet him every morning with a cheerful smile and breakfast. Sure- he had tried to wake up early to cook, but it seemed as if she would always beat him to it. Eventually it didn't matter. A lot of things didn't matter, like what she did when she disappears in the night or when she would return.

Never once had he questioned her. Everyone was entitled to their secrecy and wishes, but that…

That _note_. That was something he would or could never accept. Naruto had a nindo- to protect his precious people – and now he isn't about to let a repeat of what happened before occur again. Even if he didn't know what she was doing, even if it wasn't even life threatening. He would feel safer knowing she would be alright.

He let the nine-tailed fox guide them. How? He didn't know. It was nothing more than gut feeling. Maybe it had something to do with being sealed and bonded together. However, even in death? It was news to him.

"Naruto, slow down," the fox commanded in a powerful tone.

The blonde immediately complied although he nearly missed the command as the wind quickly swept away any traces of sound.

"What now, Kyu?" Naruto asked hurriedly- impatience and worry evident in his voice.

"Wait." The fox lifted his head high and took a small sniff.

Naruto shut his eyelids, forcing himself to forget about his worries and to believe in Hikari's ability to survive. After all, she was very resourceful. A sudden air of calmness surrounded him, a feeling that was so familiar yet strangely something he couldn't seem to remember- much like trying to summon his chakra.

In that second, his eyes immediately opened as he recognized a scent he wished he would have never encountered again, especially now.

Naruto shouted, "Kyu! We have to go, _now!"_

"Left, go left!" The fox shouted the direction whilst being swept up into the arms of Naruto who had picked up unimaginable speed. The sound of wind _cracking_ burst through the surrounding area as the ground indented deeply, the only trace where the blonde shinobi once stood.

The Kyuubi found himself slightly worried for the blonde carrying him. At the same time, he was amazed and slightly shocked at this newfound speed. What had happened to the blonde in the years he disappeared?

_Flashback_

"…they only died a few years before me. So, they _should _be here, _somewhere,_ right?"

Kyu only sighed to himself, looking down at the floor, thinking to himself. He took a quick glance over at Naruto, a sad look adorning his face. The fox knew what was going through the blonde's mind- the blue-eyed male thought he had just died and crossed over to this side immediately.

He thought to himself, _"If only he knew…" _

It had been at least 5 millennia since the disappearance of the blonde. Since the fox had last saw him- when he was sucked up by a portal. The fox was forcibly expelled from the boy, given his freedom as payment for helping him dispose of the organization Akatsuki however, found himself making a quick choice. In the split second before the boy was completely gone, the fox forced a small portion of his chakra sealed within the disappearing blonde.

Just a day before the reappearance of the blonde, the nine-tailed fox felt a source of chakra stirring. To be exact it felt like his chakra. He barked out a laugh, finally happy that he might have the chance of finding his lost friend. In the years Naruto had trained to beat Akatsuki, the fox was the only one he could turn to. Eventually, ties were made, friendship was born.

"The brat is _back!_" the fox thought happily to himself before ripping apart a portal and entering it to the feeling of his chakra.

_Flashback end…_

The fox was snapped out of his thoughts as a stronger scent of blood filled his nose. "Kit, careful, we are nearly there," he warned.

Naruto nodded whilst maintaining his pace, his powerful muscles tensing slightly as his level of awareness increased. There were some destroyed buildings; however the area was mostly deserted. It was probably a district which was abandoned due to its terrible conditions. For some reason, the place seemed _colder, nastier_ than the other districts.

The blonde abruptly stopped. He could feel it now; it was small, but there. His chakra was still churning within him, waiting to be released once again. He felt alive knowing that he still had a source of power waiting to be unlocked. If that was what it will take to save Hikari, he would find a way to release it _all_.

In that moment, a bright flash of light covered the area. Ice covered the grounds accompanied by a chilling breeze sweeping past threatening to freeze anyone not strong enough to withstand its temperature. Naruto could spot three people lying on the icy ground unmoving, just knocked out by the looks of it. There was a large amount of blood but definitely not enough blood drawn to kill.

The air was heavy, a sudden pressure bearing down against the unprepared duo. As a result the Kyuubi flared his chakra to negate the effects.

"Naruto, you feel that?" questioned the fox.

"Yes, that way." He gave a short whisper whilst channeling what little amounts of his chakra he had to his feet. He never noticed the orange patterns on the white portion of his black and white shirt glowing slightly before reforming into a different design- with some parts of the orange disappearing and joining with another.

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Hikari found herself in a situation- a losing one. The other three she had brought along with her was no where to be seen. As the captain of the Zero Division, she had always prided in her abilities to lead the elite group efficiently. She was regarded as one of the most powerful shinigami of current times. Despite this, her opponents were no pushovers, in fact, they were the exact opposite. Today, she was reminded of who were the true powerhouses of the shinigami world.

Her cape was ripped, shredded in some areas and threatening to fall off. However, underneath her shredded cape, she wore an orange and black shirt. Even though she was probably in her last battle, she found herself laughing at the thought, "_Never thought I'd be happier Naruto gave me this shirt as a present…"_

She breathed hard, gasping for air as her opponent did the same. The girl pushed off the ground, avoiding a devastating blow that shattered the ground she stood on previously.

"How long do you think you can keep avoiding my sword Hikari-chan?" her opponent taunted.

"Long enough, what about you?" rebutted Hikari.

Her opponent smiled and answered her, "You still haven't lost your wit I see."

Hikari paused and thought about why she had even attempted to find these people. She reminded herself, it was to ask them something.

"Why'd you leave and why is there an order to find and retrieve you?" Hikari demanded for an answer. She felt tears forming; it was hard fighting someone you truly cared for.

"Hikari-chan, I can't tell you why exactly we left but I have an idea why the King wants us back."

"So, please… come back!" Hikari pleaded, still breathing hard for air in between.

"Not yet. The time is not right yet. We wish to live our lives peacefully from now and will interfere if necessary."

Hikari found herself thinking about what she just learnt. _The time is not right yet…?_ What was going to happen?

"So, how about we test you out and see if you have improved?" her opponent said before looking to the right and nodding.

A blur appeared, then followed by three more. In total five people were surrounding her. It confirmed her thoughts, she was alone now. However, despite her unlucky predicament, one figure spoke up.

"Hikari! It so nice to see you again! You've grown and wonderfully as well! Hehehe!" the man called out and grinned perversely.

Another figure from behind Hikari shouted at the man, "You stupid pervert, stop ogling her. I'll castrate you once this is over!"

The older man shivered in fear, the threat would be carried out if he didn't play his cards right.

Hikari found herself giggling at the nostalgic event. It was one thing she loved about these people. They were the ones who had found her and cared for her ever since they had found her wandering in one of the streets. They were family.

Now, she had a duty but to retrieve her family back, against their wishes? Was it just selfish desire?

She carried herself gracefully, dropping into a stance she rarely ever used. If it was one against five, she would give it her all.

Her opponents noticed this as well and a red-head woman said to her, "Looks like you are ready to battle us."

The male beside her said, "Come with the intent to kill."

Hikari understood that phrase. One of utmost importance to the teachings they had imparted onto her.

With a defiant expression adorning her face, she took a breath in before she shouted out, "Ban-kai!"

The pressure built up within her exploded out as pure white blinded the area creating a small shockwave and outburst of reiatsu.

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Whilst running towards the direction of the power they felt, Naruto questioned the fox, "Why didn't you tell me you could talk earlier. Could have told me she was missing. Also you could have assured me that at least I knew someone here! You were with me the whole time!"

"I thought it was fun. More specifically, I wanted to see if you could figure out I am the _only_ nine-tailed fox around," the fox cuddled in his arms said. Kyu enhanced his voice to penetrate the winds so that their conversation would be easier. As such, both Naruto and he were manipulating the air currents to optimize their speed without wasting too much energy.

"Forget it, I'll talk to you about this after we save Hikari. You need to tell me of the things I missed out on after I died. I can't remember it, but I feel as if it has been years since my passing," Naruto said seriously.

"_If only you knew _how _long," _the Kyuubi thought to itself.

Naruto thought to himself, he was faster, stronger, more flexible and he dared admit he was more intelligent, even if a bit. He had always valued his assessment of his skills in order to predict how much stronger he would get to defeat Akatsuki. Through some grueling self-tests in the previous months, he found himself re-evaluating everything he remembered. It was a crazy feeling, but Naruto decided he should follow his instinct.

"Kyu, I want you to stay out of this fight and heal Hikari if she is injured. I'll distract her opponent or opponents for a bit to give you that time," his tone unwavering, determination set.

That was it, the last few hundred meters. They could feel the source of the clashing powers nearby and hear the sounds of metals clashing against each other.

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She gasped hard for air, trying to fill her lungs with as much oxygen as possible. Cleverly, she used her reiatsu to assist regulating the oxygen throughout her body in order to more efficiently recover herself.

It was unluckily for her the attacks from all sides never stopped for a moment. It was a clear test on her physical being and mental mindset. To falter for a second would result her getting slashed or stabbed. All were aimed for her non-vital areas she noticed but if hit, she would be in extreme pain. Hikari decided she would never want to feel that pain again after her first lesson.

"You know, you look like you are about to give in…"

Hikari never responded, she just focused on her footwork and conserving as much energy as possible for the mean time. Once an opening presented itself, she would strike.

Each breath she took allowed her to slowly fall into a rhythm. Her body was adjusting to the movement but she could feel her balance slightly off. Each step she took, she was forced into another step immediately. It gave her no time to fix her balance and she knew that unless something was done, they would score the hit eventually.

"You could still work a bit on your balancing," chided one of her teachers.

_So, they picked up on it. _Having five people attacking all at once was tough, every time she tried to prepare a kido, she was countered. Even thought she could do it without the incantations, lifting up her hand even proved a chore. A blade would swipe the area where her arm was raising to prevent access to her arsenal of kido.

The blue-haired girl twisted her body and blocked one of the swords with her own beautiful weapon. It was a blade of pure white that had a diamond edge and a short flowing snowy ribbon at the end of her hilt.

"The Divided Ice Path!" she shouted as ice erupted from the tip of her sword, following the motion of her swing. The male exposed to the path of the attack Flash Stepped away and Hikari responded by doing so as well to gain distance.

As soon as she reappeared, a swipe from behind lashed out and cut her hand shallowly drawing some blood out.

"You can't run away."

"Cocoon of the Ice Goddess!" she shouted out. A wall of ice erupted from the ground forcing her opponents to back away slightly. It was a move that took a lot out of her as she struggled to maintain the impenetrable wall with more reiatsu. Her opponents pounded hard against the wall, as she poured even more reiatsu into reforming the chipped ice.

After a few breaths she made the decision to do it. "Shattering of the Divine!" she shouted.

Once again, pure white was seen as the wall exploded into a million fragments of sharp ice. Hopefully her senseis would be able to withstand the attack.

As a counter to Hikari's attack, a figure stomped the ground and the earth erupted outwards covering the sharp shards that were currently drilling into the earth itself.

"Bankai," a voice was heard. Intense heat was felt as the ice melted into water and flames erupted.

"That's enough," the new participant said and looked towards his peers.

"Hikari-chan has improved a lot. All five of us at once and she still managed to last quite long," a blonde male stated.

"Forgive us Hikari, you'll see us sooner than you think," a woman said apologetically.

They disappeared before two of them appeared in her view- one with a fist aiming for a stomach and the second to chop the back of her neck.

She couldn't react in time. Hikari closed her eyes, prepared to welcome pain and the blackness that accompanied it. She felt a great impact slam into her, forcing her to expel the wind in her lungs.

Her eyes opened in shock as the sight of a familiar blonde looked down at her, his eyes cold and hard, radiant and warm at the same time. She felt the strong arms clutching her tightly as she felt herself being carried by him feeling the warmth his body gave off, comforting her. His hair blew slightly due to the wind as he inspected her very closely.

"Kari-chan, you've decided to wear the orange after all…" he said jokingly as his face brightened with a smile.

Hikari couldn't resist smiling, here he was, the one she was worried she would leave alone at home. She thought fondly, _home… _the two of them.

She whispered softly, "Don't get used to it blondie…"

He chuckled before gripping her tightly. The spot which they were at a previous second before exploded in a pillar of flames. Naruto felt his tuned senses tingling as his mind became fully alert. Everything within the mile was his to _feel_, every attack directed at him he _knew_ he would dodge- perfectly. The feeling in the back of his neck warned him something was coming. He ducked and disappeared again, the ground cracking underneath his foot from the heavy push.

Each time he stopped, an attack would follow suit straight after. This was the formidability of her masters and family. Hikari felt scared. For the first time in her life she felt truly frightened. She would never forgive herself is Naruto got hurt because of her. It was surprising that he came and even more surprising with the way he held himself and performed. Hikari felt the forces act upon her body especially a strong air resistance that resulted from the high speeds Naruto was entering.

As Naruto's eyes met with hers, he spoke gently, "Kari-chan, don't worry..." The blue-haired girl felt her worries dissipate as she trusted him.

The ground in front of them exploded with flames but this time Naruto sidestepped it and waited for the group of six to appear in front of them.

He felt their presences nearby as he turned his head to the right to meet the sight of the six people with a deadly glare.

A gasp was heard…

Shock was evident on their faces as one dared to speak, "N-Naruto…?"

* * *

**Additional Note: It will be a while till next update, 4 weeks to be exact. Exams are arriving, hopefully all of you are understanding (I know you are). Kay, Have fun!**

**Right and I noticed this is an increasing trend for authors in Fanfiction- Trying methods to get readers to review.**

**1) You are doing me a favour by clicking that button which states 'Review'. Haha  
2) I enjoy the comments you give as it offers me a sense of satisfaction. (Critism... well not so satisfactory, but really, that's the best thing I should get as it will help improve this fic in the long run.)**


	4. Note: Opinions needed

Author's Note:

Very quick question... if there are still any readers of this fiction. Would you like me to start this fiction over again? I know it's been extremely long and my leave from fanfiction was due to some personal matters. Sorry I couldn't really give a reasoning because that would take way too long and delve into my private life, haha. So... yeah... the big question...

Would you like me to do this over again?

and...

Is there anything you might like to see.


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